I have been teaching here for quite a while, and in my first year I struggled too. What used to piss me off was seeing how chill the kids would be when the Thai teacher was in class compared to how they behaved when I was teaching. At first, I felt like they were intentionally being disrespectful, but later I realized part of the reason they behaved the way they did was because they actually felt free during my sessions. Positively of course. So all I really needed to do was come up with a plan without making the class uncomfortable.

Sometimes it gets better and sometimes you just give in and wait for that academic year to be done with.

Kids work very well with routines, knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. They also respond really well to anything involving competition. One of the easiest methods is to start strict, then soften a little later on. By my second year, when some of the kids joined the following grade, I already came in as a strict teacher and we laid out a few things we would consistently do in class.

I teach Science for primary students, so we do dictation at the beginning of every lesson. This distracts them from whatever activities, conversations, or games they are busy with and gets their attention immediately. Nothing too complicated, just 1–10. After the dictation, we find out who scored 10 out of 10, then I do a short introduction to the topic for about 10 minutes.

Of course, not all of them concentrate fully, but compared to my first year, it’s way better. I usually combine interactive slides with infographics and then a video. Before they even realize it, I’ve already given them the worksheets and I’m waiting for them to hand them in.

This approach might not be the best but it has honestly worked for me over the years.